Lock and Keys
by MissDevon
Summary: not only houses are kept shut with locks and keys. Starts out with Ashley buying a clue or two and getting the locks to the Ranch changed and spins into a tale about the ties that bind various citizens of GC together whether they like it or not.


**Lock and Keys**

Ashley smiled as she handed the handyman the check and took the three keys from him. "And there won't be anymore copies made?" she asked for the umpteenth time.

"Yes, Ms. Abbot. In fact I marked on them that they can't be copied. If you need any more you just have to call me at your old house," he said with a smile.

"Good, and we shouldn't need any more. Until I know I can trust--- well it doesn't matter," she said with a shrug as Adam and Sharon walked in.

"Ash, what's going on?" the blonde asked as she and Adam shrugged out of their coats and threw them over the back of the couch.

Ashley gave a half nod to the handyman who left and then turned to the other couple; at the sound of the door closing behind him she faced them: "I found Nikki in here last night. Apparently she brought some things for Noah. Since no one answered her knock she let herself in--- with her own key."

"Lovely," Sharon rolled her eyes.

"But typical. I'm guessing she didn't give you her key back," Adam put in.

"No, she told me to take it up with Victor, who incidentally is trying to get the house back from under me and the kids," Ashley responded tiredly as she went and sat down, watching the other couple do the same. "I had keys made just for the three of us."

"Don't you think Noah and Abby should have ones as well?" Sharon wondered.

"Nikki would try to get one off of them and have it copied," Adam responded easily.

"Yeah, and I'm in no mood for Ms. Betty Broderick wanna be in my life," she shot back. "I swear, I don't know who the hell she thinks she is. Or Victor for that matter. Nikki gets whatever she wants no matter who it hurts. Hell, she thinks she can have this house back just by whispering sweet nothings into Victor's ear! I swear, I should've listened to Jack and let Traci donate Colleen's heart to someone else."

"You don't really mean that, do you?" Sharon wondered.

Sighing Ashley shook her head: "No, but only because of the girls. Abby didn't deserve to loose her father along with her sister, and especially not after just losing Brad."

"You do know that you have a higher chance of her giving Victor the key then of Noah doing so."

"Well, they're both going to have to earn the key because I won't have Victor or Nikki walking into my house. As for Abby I have my own plans for her. I don't like how she's dealing with things and it's about time I made sure she got the help she deserves."

**Chapter 2**

"Mom, you are being soooo unreasonable!" Abby pouted.

Ashley crossed her arms over her chest and glared at her daughter: "Noah doesn't seem to have a problem with it."

"His girlfriend set fire to his house, you really think he's going to complain to someone who took them in. I'm old enough to have my own key and this is DAD's house. If he wants to come and go to visit me and Faith then why shouldn't he!"

"Abby, I don't plan on keeping you or your sister from your father, but I will not have that _woman_ walking into my house and telling me what I can and can't do. Nor will I take the chance of what she will do."

"Mom, you're so overdramatic."

"Abby, go get your things. We have things to take care of."

"Whatever…"

"Whatever indeed."

**Chapter 3**

Victor glared at Ashley when she opened the door: "do you really think that changing the locks on my house is going to change anything?"

"Reread the divorce settlement, Victor. It's _my _house," she shot back blocking his way into the Ranch.

"I'm here to see the girls."

"Check the custody agreement. Not your time," she said testily.

"Ashley, don't try my patience."

"I'm not. This is my home and I can decide who I want in it and when. You don't have a scheduled visitation with them and you didn't call ahead. You're not wanted here. Leave before I call the police."

"I will see my children whenever I want!"

"Faith is asleep and Abby's busy with school. I'll have her call you later, now leave."

"You won't get away with this," he warned. "Especially when you promised that I could see them whenever I wanted to."

"Then maybe you should've stuck to your end of the bargain, Victor," Ashley shot back. "I will not be bullied by you or have your skank ex walking in and out of here without warning or an invitation. You want someone to blame talk to her.  
I will not have my home upset because she wants to play lady of the manor. I did what I had to to help save your life at her request. Instead I got stabbed in the back by both of you.  
Don't think I don't know she's the one who put it in your head to take back this home from me.  
Don't think I don't know she's the one causing so much trouble."

"You know nothing."

"You'd be surprised at what I know and don't know…"

**Chapter 4**

Billy looked at Ashley with a smirk: "I thought you didn't want to go this route."

Ashley laughed: "Nikki made sure that your mother got kicked to the curb by Katherine out of spite and jealousy. It's not like the whole town doesn't know it."

"And we now know that she slept with him when she was a striper."

"And I'm sure you can find out more. Tucker wouldn't react to her as he has if it was just that and she wouldn't be bringing Victor in and making him and Jack work together. Find out what the truth about those two is and use it. Front page big and full color. Make sure everyone knows what a …"

"Where Victoria gets it from?" Billy jumped in.

"That's one way of putting it," Ashley said as she laughed, kissed Billy on the check and sailed out of Restless Style offices.

**Chapter 5**

Victor was furious. Ashley had made sure that he couldn't see Faith unless it was scheduled and he was never alone with her. The judge her agreed with her pleas to not have Nikki there when he visited and then with her decision to send Abby to a special boarding school to help her deal with the trauma of the last year, even though he hadn't been informed. The fact that she had been planning it before his return was seen to be in her favor. And again, Ashley had managed to block him from going there with Nikki. In fact Nikki wasn't even allowed passed the security gate and if he showed up with her would not be allowed to see his daughter, by her doctor's orders.

Now, Nikki stormed into the room they had at the Athletic Club. "Did you see this? What Billy did?" she asked as she threw the newest copy of Restless Style onto the table in front of him.

Victor picked it up and read the headline: "is it true?" he asked her.

Nikki rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest: "does it matter, Victor?"

"Yes."

"Fine. Yes. Tucker and I were invovled. I got pregnant by him and I put the child up for adoption."

Victor's jaw tensed: "and in all these years, you never told me? Didn't want to find that child?"

"He didn't matter."

"Your child--- son didn't matter?" Victor asked surprised.

"Tucker is going to use this to…"

"I DO NOT CARE WHAT TUCKER WILL USE THIS FOR!" Victor bellowed. "You had to know that this would come out. You made sure that Ashley would do whatever she had to to get back at you and now her brother did her bidding! How stupid are you? Have you learned nothing over the years?"

"Victor, I know this is a shock, but…" she started condescendingly.

"You just made sure that we can no longer help Katherine. You have disgraced yourself and the Newmans. You have also just put a target on all of our backs!"

"I'll talk to Tucker. Neither of us were in a position…"

"Then, Nikki. But had you told me…" Victor shook his head. "Pack your things and get out. I do not want to see you."

"I have no place to go."

"End up in the gutter where you belong for all I care!" Victor said as he stormed off, ignoring Nikki's pathetic cries.

**Chapter 6**

Jill stared at Tucker in shock: "You couldn't have told me you two were involved?"

"Darlin', I thought you knew."

"Don't darling me."

"I didn't know about the baby," he told her as he crossed to her and cupped her arms in his hands. "Knowing my history do you think…"

"No," Jill said as she looked at the buttons on his shirt.

"Good, then maybe you can help me convince Paul Williams to help me find my son."

* * *

Nikki gave Katherine a shocked look: "but Katherine, I have nowhere else to go."

"And that's my problem?" the older woman asked. "I kicked Jill out of here for lying about her relationship with that man. You knew that. You helped fan the fires. Meanwhile, you had a relationship with him. A child with him. MY grandchild, and yet you never said anything!"

"Katherine, you have to understand…"

"I don't have to do anything Nikki," Katherine snapped. "Tell me, did you know he was my son?"

"I…" Nikki exhaled. "I wondered when he showed up and started his business dealings."

"And yet you never thought to tell me?"

"It was a long time ago, Katherine. I was never sure. He never named names…"

"Get out Nikki and don't come back."

* * *

Jill opened the door to the house she and Tucker had bought a surprised to see Katherine on the other side: "what do you want?"

"To apologise?"

"Is that a question or an answer," Jill wondered as she stepped back to let her in.

"I saw the story in Restless Style…"

"Oh, so now that Nikki can't be the stand in child, you what? Want the other one? Or do you actually want to start acting like a mother to your son?"

"I made a lot of mistakes, Jill," Katherine sighed tiredly.

"Ya think?"

"Nikki is going to make things very complicated for the two of you."

"What else is new? Nikki thinks she walks on water. That she could play daughter to you even when we thought I was your daughter. She took control of your funeral. Your heart. Everything she could get her greedy hands on. She made sure that you wouldn't listen to me about the truth about me and Tucker and I should what? Be thankful that now you know the truth about her you want us back in your life?"

"Jill it's more complicated than that."

"Isn't everything with you and Nikki?"

"We need to work things out, Jill, for the sake of the family."

"I thought we weren't family."

"You know where that came from," Katherine countered. "I want to fix this."

"Are you ready to include Tucker in that?" Jill asked.

Katherine exhaled: "he's part of the package, isn't he?"

"Good," Jill said. "Just one thing… don't cut off Nikki completely. If we're ever going to find out what she did with Tucker's son we'll need her help."

"Oh, I will make sure that she tells us how to find that boy and pay whatever I have to to help find my grandchild."

"Acknowledgement for what reason? That the child's mine or Nikki Newman's?" Tucker asked walking in on the two women.

Katherine turned towards her son: "Considering how long that snake lied to me and used my affections for her to her own advantage what do you think?"

"So revenge against Nikki is your motivation?"

"No, seeing my family put back together is," Katherine answered.

"To turn a phrase of your own, _Mother,_ bull. But I'll take what I can get. I won't let that woman who goes around pretending to be the reformed stripper with the heart of gold get away with this. I will find my son and I will form a relationship with him. By any means necessary," he replied icily.

Looking at him, Katherine couldn't help but be surprised to recognize a bit of herself in him for the first time…


End file.
